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Dormancy in bulbils of several herbaceous plants: Effects of photoperiod, light, temperature, oxygen and gibberellic acid

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Abstract

Effects of some environmental conditions (photoperiod, white and colored lights, temperature, partial oxygen pressure) and growth regulators (gibberellic acid, 2-chloroethyltrimethylammonium chloride) on induction and release of dormancy of the bulbils ofDioscorea batalas, Laportea bulbifera, Elatostema involucratum andSedum bulbiferum were investigated.

Bulbils were formed under short-day conditions inLaportea andElatostema, under long-day conditions inSedum, and irrespective of photoperiods inDioscorea. In all species exceptSedum, immature bulbils required light, particularly blue or far red, for sprouting (photo-sprouting stage), and mature bulbils required a cold treatment (thermo-sprouting stage). The duration of photo-sprouting and thermo-sprouting stages and the degree of dependency on light or low temperature of sprouting differed from species to species. Sprouting of chilled mature bulbils of these species was promoted by light, especially by red or green light.

Both immature and mature bulbils ofSedum sprouted under short-day conditions. Continuous irradiation with blue, far-red and green light markedly inhibited their sprouting.

Oxygen at high concentration inhibited the sprouting of immature bulbils inDioscorea; in the other species it promoted sprouting regardless of the maturation of the bulbils.

Applications of gibberellic acid caused the sprouting of bulbils the absence of light, chilling or photoperiodic treatment in all species exceptDioscorea, in which gibberellic acid inhibited sprouting. Polyphenol oxidase activity was very high in the homogenates ofDioscorea bulbils, and increased further when the bulbils had been treated with gibberellic acid. In the other species, little or no such activity was observed.

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Abbreviations

GA3 :

gibberellic acid

CCC:

2-chloroethyltrimethylammonium chloride

SD:

short day

LD:

long day

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  1. Biological Institute, Faculty of Science, Tohoku University, 980, Sendai

    Nobuo Okagami

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  1. Nobuo Okagami
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Okagami, N. Dormancy in bulbils of several herbaceous plants: Effects of photoperiod, light, temperature, oxygen and gibberellic acid. Bot. Mag. Tokyo 92, 39–58 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02488300

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